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with caraway seeds

This past weekend was (and still is) a truly dark time in American history. It’s certainly kept me up at night. The audacity of this ban on “people from Muslim-majority nations” is beyond me. It makes me feel numb. When I look at pictures of people finally being reunited with their families at airports across the country, I want to cry, both tears of joy for them but also tears of anger and sadness because they had to go through SO. MUCH. already, and then to be put through this additional gauntlet is just heartbreaking. These are human beings. The United States should be a place of refuge, a place where people can feel safe, not a place of fear and hate-mongering. And of course the countries where Trump has business ties have been left off of his list. We are a nation of immigrants. We know that. Everyone knows that. And to turn people away, people that need our help, people that are already legally residing in the country, people that have put their lives on the line to help our military and government abroad, is sickening. I implore you to please donate to the ACLU on a monthly basis, if your budget allows. Go to protests (you can easily find them in your area by searching on Facebook). Find your local chapter of CAIR and look for volunteer opportunities. Call your representatives. And for those of you who have left comments about how you don’t like my politics (or worse), you are welcome to go elsewhere, because this is important and if you’re going to turn a blind eye to the world right now because it’s too hard or you just don’t want to deal with it, then I feel ashamed for you. This is about people and they deserve every chance and opportunity that every American deserves. We have to keep having these tough conversations, especially with people who disagree with us or people that voted for the current president. These recent actions are indefensible. Even Republicans think so. This is not the time to just wait around and “give him a chance” and see what happens. It’s clear what this administration’s priorities are, and we cannot stand for it.

It’s honestly hard for me to even put a recipe up right now. It’s hard to think about anything other than the current political climate and all of the horror that is being inflicted upon people, from this ban to the struggle of so many other people in this country, but it’s important to rest and stay focused and spend some time re-energizing yourself. If that means going for a run, watching a movie, meditating, or, in my case, baking or cooking, then that’s a good thing. One of my friends sends out a weekly email blast with various calls to action and ways to help, and one thing she mentioned was that it’s easy to burn out, so find the things that you are passionate about and make sure you take care of yourself while you work on them. I’m trying to do that as best I can. I am obviously very lucky and I am in a position where I am able to donate, protest, and try to spread information to others. Not everyone is so fortunate, and I realize that. That’s why I feel a responsibility to use this blog and whatever reach it has to try to do some good. But at the end of the day, it is a food blog, and I do want to share some recipes with you, if anything, to help alleviate some of the pain everyone has been feeling. And bread is a great way to do that. Kneading the dough together is soothing and therapeutic, and there’s really nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread. This is a simple rye bread recipe. It’s perfect for sandwiches or toast or even just snacking with some butter and salt. We made a brisket a few weeks back, had some friends over, made sandwiches, and watched a movie. This bread was wonderful slathered in mustard and piled high with tender slices of meat, pickles, and onions. If you’re new to baking, especially to baking bread, then this is a wonderful place to start. Bake some bread, take care of yourself, and while it rises, give your representatives and senators a call. Thanks to everyone who has been working tirelessly to make a difference, and thank you especially to all of the people around me who are inspiring me to be better and work harder.

This super-easy recipe is perfect for beginner bread makers. It's great for sandwiches, toast, or even all on its own.

Ingredients

¼-ounce (2¼ teaspoons) active dry yeast

1 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water (about 110-115 degrees F)

1½ tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon caraway seeds, plus more for topping

2¼ teaspoons kosher salt

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1¼ cup rye flour

1 egg white, for brushing

Instructions

In the bowl of an electric mixer (or just a large bowl if you're making the bread by hand), sprinkle your yeast over ¼ cup of your warm water. Add in ½ tablespoon honey and whisk until the yeast dissolves. Let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes, until foamy.

Add in the remaining water and honey, as well as the butter, caraway seeds, and salt. Mix to combine, then gradually add in both flours, one cup at a time, until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl and forms a sticky ball. Knead the dough on a floured surface or with your dough hook for about 5 minutes, then shape into a ball. Transfer to a large buttered bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Butter a 4-1/2 x 8-1/2 inch loaf pan and set aside. When the dough has risen, punch it down and on a lightly floured surface, roll it out to a 7 x 7-inch square, then fold it into thirds, like a letter, and pinch the ends to seal. Place the dough seam-side-down in the loaf pan and brush with your egg white and sprinkle with extra caraway seeds.

Spray a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place it on top of the dough (so that it doesn't stick when you peel it away later). Let stand for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the dough touches the plastic wrap.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F, then when ready to bake, lower it to 400 degrees F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 45-55 minutes or so, rotating the pan halfway through baking, until the top is a nice, golden brown. Let the bread cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before removing and slicing. This will keep well, wrapped in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to a week.

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11 Responses

I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your addition of your life and feelings about the world into this blog. I come from a similar background to you and right now so many of us are just hurt and angry and lost. I was out for dinner with friends and mentioned this blog was one of the things getting me through; that every week I get reminded there are others like me around the country, there’s a list of ways I can help, and a small recipe I can make to keep happiness in my life. Don’t let anyone deter you from your thoughts and feelings, you are making a difference.

I 100% agree with you! I would love to pretend that our current situation didn’t exist – I’d get a lot more sleep at night – but to just turn around and pretend it’s not happening is no longer an option. It’s gotten too bad too quickly. Kudos to you to working to make a difference! I’m right there with you.

Now this is kinda funny, I am going to be sharing your current blog entry to my FB, not so much for the wonderful recipe, but for your comments which are just the kind of thing people need to see. I am so happy there are people like you that have the courage to say what needs to be said.

I know politics are not typically a feature of food/lifestyle blogs, but our world is not typically this frightening.

I’ve been following a decent amount of bloggers over the years, and a frightening majority of them have not made a single comment on the state of the world today. And frankly: the longer it goes on, the less inclined I am to want to continue reading the words of anyone who tries to ignore reality.

“Fun distraction” doesn’t work anymore. When I see someone on a craft blog blithely posting party favor ideas on the morning of a Muslim ban, all it does is make me furious. It’s the opposite of fun distraction.

It will never be unwelcome for me to hear compassion and concern, no matter the source. Even just a quick sentence of recognition alongside the usual blog offferings would be helpful. Real human empathy is so much more soothing to my soul than a beautiful wordless post on a food blog.

I will never think that there are “too many” people sharing my concern and grief. I’ll never think it’s cliché, or tired, or overkill. I will always welcome the reassurance that there are more caring citizens in this world than I knew about yesterday.

I really hope that others with high profile social presences start to follow your example.

You keep doing you. We’re on the right side of history, this I know. When we discriminate, we fail and we are WRONG. Simple as that. Human rights = equal rights. Too many are blinded by privilege to see it so I fear it’s going to get much worse before it has a chance to get better. Very sad, dark days ahead. We need like minded people to get together more than ever. Keep sending your light out into the world.

I just gotta say AMEN! To all of it-that we all have to take a stand against hatred and ignorance, that if people don’t want to read it they don’t have to (but dear lord we know they need to), and that we must care for ourselves. Thank you for helping with all of that.

Wonderful true words! I appreciate your courage to speak aloud when you can. Even here – on a food blog. I just stumbled onto this while looking for a rye bread recipe. So glad I did! Thank you! Oh, and the recipe sounds delicious too!

You’re right, and I apologize for implying that all Americans were immigrants. I was only referring generally to those who had European/etc. ancestors come here years ago only to want to close off borders now to others who are in similar situations that their great-grandparents were in. Thank you for bringing this up and again, my apologies.